Denmark's new defence minister on sick leave to 'unplug'

Copenhagen: Denmark's Defence Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Jakob Ellemann-Jensen on Monday said he was taking sick leave for an undetermined period, hardly two months after a new government took power.

The 49-year-old said he was admitted briefly to hospital last week for "nausea", just after returning from Ukraine.

"I was eager to go back to work immediately. But now that it's been a few days I have to realise I'm not ready for this," he said on Facebook.

Protesters gather on Christiansborg Square in front of the Danish Parliament in Copenhagen, Denmark, during a demonstration on February 5, 2023. (Photo by Emil Helms / Ritzau Scanpix / AFP)

"I have been unusually busy for a long time. Now my body is sending me a signal that it's time to take a break, if not it's going to end badly," he said.

"The bottom line is that, on the advice of my doctor, I need to unplug for a while and take leave. And then I will return when I'm ready."

Economy Minister Troels Lund Poulsen will fill in for Ellemann-Jensen during his absence, the government said.

His absence comes as Danes protest against government plans to abolish a public holiday to help fund the defence budget amid the war in Ukraine.